The sun has headed north of the equator and it's time once again to take to the skies of the South Pacific as we Cross the Ditch!

For eighteen hours this May, the skies over the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand will be filled with aircraft all on a mission to Cross the Ditch.

An example of that typical down-under understatement, this "ditch" is over 1100nm wide. The flight routes all range from two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half hours flight time.

Throughout the event, the Oceania region's two divisions – VATNZ and VATPAC – will be providing full ATC coverage, in the Southern Hemisphere's premiere oceanic event.

This is a great opportunity to experience Oceanic flying without the need to commit to an eight-hour flight! If you're new to Oceanic Flying, our reporting tool makes taking part a breeze.

This eighteen hour event is timed to allow pilots from all over the world join the fun:

• UTC: Saturday 26th May 2012 18:00 - Sunday 27th May 2012 12:00
• AEST: Sunday 27th May 2012 04:00 - Sunday 27th May 2011 22:00
• NZST: Sunday 27th May 2012 06:00 - Monday 28th May 2012 00:00

Calling all Pilots and Controllers

Flight plans are available from the Flight Plans section.

Book your flights now from the Flight Bookings page. Bookings made on this site help us plan for the event, and will also show up in vroute.

Controllers wanting to get in on the action can also apply now at the event's ATC Applications page.